Cutting implement



Dec. 27, 1938.

N. V. CASSON CUTTING IMPLEMENT Filed Jam.A 2o, 1958 INVENTOR. i Afz'ehasVz/Jlozz'- 3 2li; TTORNEY.

NM /WN Patented Dec. t21, 193s UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlfcE 2,141,854 pCUTTING I MPLEMENT Nicholas V. Casson, New York, N. Yr ApplicationJanuary zo, 193s, serial No. 85,851?

1o claims. (c1. sli-144) l v This invention relates yto cuttingimplements. 'I'he special object of the invention is to provide acutting, implement of the portable hand'- tool type; for use on BX cableand the like, and 5 a novel and valuable such implement because fincorporating vnot only a hack-saw, for cutting 'the armor ofthe cablewithout injuring the insulation sheath therein, but also a. shear meansin the natureof a p air oi? sniis, for cutting the conducting wirewithinthe sheath, or the sheath, Ur both.

The combination in one portable hand tool 4of knowledge heretofore beensuggested,

By the present invention, moreoveig'such a a hack-saw and a shear meanshas not to my combination2 is fabricable at trifiing cost and isotherwise entirely practical, because of the few partsrequired, becausethin sheet metal can be used for all the. principal parts of the'tool,bey cause there need be merely two or three pieces of thin sheet metalpresent for providing the blade holder and the handle for the hack-sawand also for providing the shear means, and because riveting or the likeis reduced to a minimum, yet the blade holder is of strong and rigidcharacter and the handle ycan be comfortably held when the implement isused as a hack-saw for the reason that then the handleis .of a thicknesswhich is a multiple of the thickness of the sheet metal employed.

'I'he invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction andcombinations and ar rangements. of parts, the nature of whichwillappearclearly from the following description of.

- an illustrative embodiment of the invention as' shown in theaccompanying drawing, vand the essential attributes of which will bepointed out in the'clalms following the description.

In the drawing- ,v v

Fig. 1 shows in side elevation an embodiment of the invention as nowpreferred in which the hack-saw frame, its handle and the shear-meansare all ymade'irom merely two pieces of thin Asheet metal. A, f

Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection, taken on the line z-zofFigL Fig. 3 is asimilar section, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with the handle shownin closed position. I

.Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing 'a modification inwhich the'hack-saw frame, its. handle and the shear means are all madefrom merely three pieces of thin sheet metal.

Fig. 5 -is a horizontal section, taken on lthe 55' Aune s-s of Fig. 4.

tutes a holder 'for the hack-saw blade I0 and at Referring now in detailto the structure shown in exemplication of the invention in Figs. 1, 2and 3, it will be noted that the entirety of the new tool, withv theexception of a replaceable hack-saw blade I0, comprises in the main two5 pieces II and lIl. of thin sheet metal, conveniently .stamped andformed to shape -in a power press. i

One of the Ithese pieces of sheet metal, that marked Il, is cut and bentto provide a hack; saw frame having a plate-like portion I3 at on endextended laterally to form part oi the thickness'of a handle. .ThepartI4 of the piece II, from which the portion I3 is extended, consti--thesame time a stop means to limit the eiective cutting depth of theblade when the `armor of -a vBX cable is sawed through by use of theblade Il! olf'the tool. Such stop means is affor'dd by the lowerstraight edges I5 extending'lengthwise of the two sides of a U-channelwithin which theblade is seated whenI placed in and locked tothe holder.This U-channel blade holder is provided by bending the part I4 of thepiece I I along a central longitudinalline of fold as illustrated. Asshown, one side wall of the holder Il is uniplanar with theplate-likeportion \I3 of thev piece Il which forms part of the thickness of thehandle, while the other side Wall of the'holder is cut oil short andpreferably along a line which" over the major vpart of its'length isva'rcuately curved as shown at I6. Also as shown, this walllast-mentioned, between its end I6, and a. point near the adjacent endof the blade I0, isfiat- 35 tened in to lie close against the facingsurface 'of the complementary wide wall of the holder,

' wall of the holder is cut away as indicated at I8, and then, when theU-channel in. the holder oi' 45 a length to accommodate a blade I 0,such a blade, y of the common type and having mounting, apei'- turesnear opposite ends, can be `readily inserted or removed.4 For the takingof one of these apertures', a short cylindrical stud I9 is secured .50as by riveting to the outer end tof the holder, and

for the ,taking'of the other of these apertures a removable pin 20 isprovided. This pinfhaving a cylindrical portion. projecting from itsmount oppositelyirom thestud I9. is on a mount which 5 and I2.

here is in the form of a leaf-spring 2|; and the end of this springremote from the pin 2U is secured to the piece II by a single rivet 22.The holder I4 is apertured as seen best in Fig. 2 to receive the pin 20incidental to seating of the latter in an end aperture in the blade Ifor mounting the blade in the holder. To remove the blade I0, as toreplace the same with' another, it is merely necessary to lift the pin20 clear of the blade, by pulling outwardly on the free end of thespring 2I, then swing the blade through 90 in its own plane until itextends as shown in-dot and clash lines in Figa-1, and then lift it.clear of the stud I9.

The arcuate curvature I6 of the piece matches and so bears against asimilar terminal shaping of the piece I2 atits upper end. Thesecurvatures are concentric with arivet 23, which rivet, the sole rivetused in building upa handle imum overlap relative to said portion I3,can.l

when desired be swung as last-described to coact with said portion I3 inproviding, as shown vin Fig. 3, a hack-saw handle of adequate thicknessfor comfortable use despite the employment of relatively thin metalstock for the pieces II At the same time, the piece I2 can be swung alsoas last-described, but for a special purpose, that is, to coactscissor-fashion with the portion I3 of the piece II, in providing theusual two handles for a shear means inthe nature of a pair of snips.

The cooperating snip elements or cutting edges of this shear means areshown at 24 and 25, the former on--the piece I2 and the latter on thepiece II. The edge 25,-it will be noted, is shown as part of a V-notchformed in a lateral extension y 26 from the upper end of the handleportion I3 of the piece II. As also here shown, 'each of these cuttingedges has a Vgeneral line of extension directed toward the axis ofpivotal connection betweenthe pieces II and I2 by way of the l rivet 23.

Whenever, after cutting through the armor of v shear means, the latteris vset to cutting condition merely by lswinging 'the piece`I2 to thepol sition shown. Then, with the two spread handle Velements gripped inone hand, the part of the BX cable projecting beyond the cut end of thearmor is at the desired point'along its length positioned between thecutting edges 26 and 25, and said handle elements are moved slightly tocause the cutting edges to take abiting grip on the insulation sheath,or on the conductor, as

the case may be. Fora straight cut thrcughgbothV Y '1 handle for thevhack-saw. If a cut through the .sheath only is to be made, this isreadily done by gradualy increasing the pressure on the handle elementswhile rotating the cable, or intermittently with rotations of thelatter.

' 4 and 5, thisis identical'with the tool of Fig.

1, except that the entire structure comprising hack-saw frame, itshandle and the shear means are all made of three pieces of thin sheetmetal ,instead of merely two, and 'except that the detent for the end ofthe bladev III which includes the leaf-spring 2|, andthe detent for theother end of the blade consisting of the stud I9, are on the same `sideof the tool as the piece correspending to the piece I2 of Fig. 1.

By using .three pieces of sheet metal instead oi two as in Fig. 1, therewill be less waste of metal stock, and a further saving will be eiecteddue to the fact that the piece from which is formed -the U-channelholder for the blade I 0 can be made of very thin material as comparedwith that employed for the handle elements. Also, while three punchingand forming dies instead of two will be required, the cost of the extradie wil be offset by the reduction in the total c'ost of die equipmentrequired, because of the simplication and reduction in size of the twodies which replace a single die.

That is, in the embodiment now being described, one sheet metal stamping28 is employed for providing'a U-channel blade holder similar to theholder I 4 of Figfl, and this from stock of really very thin gauge; andtwoother stampings addition to the total cost of the tool, are employedfor the two handle elements. One of these stampings, corresponding tothe portion I3 of the piece I I of Fig. 1, is marked 28, and theother',y

corresponding to the piece I2 of Fig. 1, is marked The two stampings 28and 29, the former of which is slightly laterally enlarged at the innerend of its U-channel as illustrated in Fig. 5v

at- 3|, are adapted for quick permanent assemthe upper end of thestamping 29 into the justmentioned enlargement oi' the stamping 28,which enlargement is merely to the extent of the thickness ofthestamping 29,` and by then applying, in addition to the mounting rivetfor the spring 23, another rivet 32.

Referring to the stamping 30, this at its upper end is shaped to anarcuate curvature 33 like the corresponding piece I2 of Fig. 1, -andthiscurvature 33 matches and so bears against a similar terminal shapingof the adjacent side wall of the stamping 28; and 'for symmetry ofappearance botlrthe side walls of this stamping 28 are of identicalshape at their ends adjacent to the stamping 30.

While I have shown'and described what I now consider lto be two of themost practical structures according tothe invention, it will beunderstood that various changes and modifications may be resorted towithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A hack-saw frame having a plate-like portion at one end extendedlaterally to form part of the thickness oi a handle; an auxiliary platepivotally mounted on said portion for increasing the thickness of thehandle: and a shear means partially carried by said portion andpartially carried by said auxiliary plate and including parts presentinga cutting edge on said portion cutting action when said portion and saidauxil-- iary plate are relatively rotated about their point of pivotalconnection. i

3. A hack-saw frame having a .plate-like portion at one end extendedlaterally to form part of the thickness of a handle; an auxiliary plateflatwisely engaging and pivotally mounted on said portion for4increasing the thickness of the handle; and a shear means comprising apair of oppositely' facing cutter elements one carried by said portionand the other carried by said plate and relatively moved for cuttingaction when said plate is rotated about its pivotal mounting from aposition out of,'to a position into, substantial alignment with saidportion.

4. A hack-saw frame as in claim 2, in which said auxiliary plate ispivoted to said portion at a point near said shear means, and said meansis near the end of the handle remote from its free end.

5, A hack-saw frame having a plate-like portion at one end extendedlaterally to form part of the thickness of a handle; an auxiliary platepivotally mounted on said portion for increasing the thickness of thehandle, said plate being pivoted to said portion near the end of thehandle remote from its free end. and the two handle parts, along a griplength of the handle between the free end `thereof and the point ofpivoting of the plate thereon, being .of substantially the same widthVand having front and rear edge shapings which substantially match whensaid plate is in'its normal position on said portion; nand shear meansincluding a cutting edge on said portion and an oppositely facingcoacting cutting edge on said plate, each of said edges extended vatanangle to the -general line of extension of said grip length, wherebysaid shear means is operable by relative movement between said portionand said plate about the point of pivotal connection therebetween.

the cutting edge on said plate faces the free end of the handle.

8. A hack-saw frame as in claim 5, in which the cutting edge on saidplate faces the free end of the handle and hasa general line ofextension away from near the pivotal connection between said portion andsaid plate, and in which the other cutting edge also has a general lineof extension away from near said pivotal connection, said two lines ofextension being so related that whenl saidplate is swung about saidpivotal connection to separate said plate and said portion inopenscissor fashion said edges are separated openscissor fashion andwhenl said plate is swung in the opposite direction to restore it tonormal position on said portion said' edges are moved toward each otherand then one past another to closedscissor condition.

9. A hack-saw frame having a plate-like portion at one end extendedlaterally to form part of the thickness of a handle; an auxiliary platepivotally mounted on said portion for increasing the thickness of thehandle, said plate being pivoted to said portion near the end of thehandle remote from its free end, and the two handle parts, along a griplength of the handle between the free end thereof andthe point ofpivoting of the plate thereon, being 'of substantially the same widthand having front and rear edge shapings which substantially match whensaid plate is in its nor,- mal position on said portion; and shear meansincluding a lateral extension on said portion main-` ly below said pointofpivoting and a lateral extension on said plate mainly above said pointoi' pivoting. one of said extensions having an edge constituting onemember of a pair of snip elements and the other of said extensionshaving an edge constituting the other and cooperant member of said pairof snip elements.

10. In a tool for the purpose described, a hacksaw frame including ablade-carrier bent along a longitudinal line of fold to provide aU-channel formed of a single strip of sheet metal, said strip formingpart of a single piece of sheet metal thev of s heet metal comprising anauxiliary plate piv-- otally mounted on said handle near the inner endthereof and on the side of the .handle offset from which is the otherside of said channel; andshear means comprising a pair of oppositelyfacing snip elements one formed on the handle and the other formed onsaid auxiliary plate and relatively moved for cutting action when saidplate is rotated on the handle about the point of pivotal connectionbetween the handle and plate.

NICHOLAS V. CASSON.

